Hi,

Has anyone found a solution to the turbo lag on the JCW Countryman? My supercharged JCW Cooper had a very flat torque curve which made it very easy to drive slow or fast and I wonder if powerplant at low rpm is just too weak for the additional heft of the car.

I did drive non-JCW Countrymans (S model, 6-spd, auto) and all of them are anemic from a standstill requiring excessive clutch slip. MINI Service recommended launching at 1500rpm which will cause the car to fall on its face, esp. on an uphill. I routinely have to launch from 3000+rpm just to get going and still it stumbles.

Is there a software update (better fuel map) or aftermarket electronics which I can add?

Thanks!

 

are you sure that's not just the extra weight slowing down acceleration

 

Clarification - this is not just slow acceleration. It is literally a stall with the rpms falling 1000 rpm unless the clutch is slipped excessively.

I am not just dumping the clutch and do not have this problem with any other turbo car (e.g., WRX)

I think the difference in weight is just ~600lbs (like 3 big passengers).

Less than 140rwhp for 3200lbs is pretty dismal: http://www.motoringunderground.com/f...ad.php?t=25083
I guess the AWD drivetrain really leads to a lot of parasitic loss.

 

icic.. sounds like you're just bogging the start then

you should watch some videos of evos trying to get up steep driveways or onto trailers.. i've had to have launch my evo to get up some steep stuff lol
for normal driving i never had an issue though

 

I just came across this thread....

I have a 2013 CM JCW All4 with a manual transmission, and have experienced this same problem in first gear.

I was scheduled for routine service this past week, so I mentioned this problem to the Mini service folks. After driving my car, and after driving a 2014 CM S with All4, the service folks determined that it is a problem that is common to the All4. What they suspect is that the All4 kicks in right a couple of seconds right after accelerating, and causes the "turbo lag" drop in power. The only thing they could do for me was to perform a software upgrade, but the problem persisted after the upgrade.

They advised complaining to MINI to see if the software could be fixed by BMW/Mini to correct this problem, as it appears to be a "bug" in the way the All4 kicks in. They said that if enough people complain about it, they might fix it. I'll pursue this route with MINI.

 

That is good info. Is there a formal way to log a complaint? I would think the update or re-calibration would be relatively painless for MINI. Is there any info on how MINI's AWD system works (how torque is distributed) or if the JCW system is different? I thought I read that base CM's are FWD unless slip is detected vs. full time 50/50 for the JCW.

 

Noticed it on my 2014 JCW as well - especially backing out of any driveway with an incline. It did seem to get a little easier to manage after I installed a Sprint Booster, though.

 

That was the solution I was looking for...

Was the throttle response dramatically improved?
Easy plug-n-play install?

I think I'll order one from Mini Mania - it says it fits 2011-12 Countryman but also states that it works for JCW (which started in 2013).

Thanks!

 

Just got off the phone with Mini Mania who says that it does not work with 2013 and 2014 JCW CM models but they were happy to send me one which I can return.

Beavz0r - how did you get yours to work? Do you have a check engine light that stays on?

Thanks for any help.

 

I ordered mine through WMW, and I know their site has it sorted by S and non-s for each model (nothing separate for JCW's), but I think it has more to do with tracking sales by car type in their case. I was under the impression that the Sprint Booster only comes in two styles for the Mini anyway, manual or automatic, and that each unit is identical otherwise.

The only thing I've read related to CEL's had more to do with CM's in general a few years ago, and it sounded like it was result of improper installs (here's a link to one of the threads on NAM https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ountryman.html).

The instructions say to turn the car off, leave the door open, and wait at least five minutes before even unplugging the stock pedal harness (I'd wait fifteen minutes just to be safe). This allows the system go into sleep mode, which seems to be the ticket for avoiding the CEL. Other than that, it's just a matter of removing a few screws that secure the pedal to the floor to get at and unplug the OEM harness, plugging the SB up to that, then a little bit of good ol' cable management for routing the button, screw the pedal back into place and that's it. Very straight forward.

I installed mine around the 10th of May, 2000 miles or so later and haven't had an issue yet. It's a bit touchy at first on the higher of the two settings (red LED), but even the lower setting (green LED) is a world of a difference over stock.

 

Beavz0r-

Just received my Sprint Booster from Mini Mania who said that they have not found it to work with the software on 2013+ CM JCWs but I could return it after trying it out.

I read through the postings on Check Engine Light issues and left the driver's door open for 10 minutes and installed the unit to find not only the CEL on the steering wheel display and large dash on but after test driving it around the block, there was absolutely NO throttle response in either the red, green or OFF settings! I tried uninstalling it and re-installing it to no avail.

The p/n is SPR2095 - Sprint Booster For MINI COUNTRYMAN but I think you are right that there are only auto vs manual versions. Is this the same part as yours? Did you open the passenger door too or wait longer than 10 minutes?

Thanks!

 

I actually stumbled across another thread on Friday that made the claim that the SB didn't work on 2013+ models (nothing about JCW though), so now I'm really curious as to why my setup seems to be working while others aren't having the same luck. I left my door open for about 15 minutes while I looked up how to disassemble the floor pedal, but most guides said even five minutes was adequate.

I'll have to check what the actual p/n says on the unit itself, but the SB box is labeled SBMI0001S.

 

I wrote Sprint Booster Boulekos Dynamicdirectly. They are aware of the problem but said that it is only seen in SOME 2013+ MINI's. They are working to resolve the software issue and an update "should not take too long". You are one of the lucky ones!